[Norman Conquest 01] Wolves in Armour (45 page)

“I’m quite happy handling things this way. Odo of Bayeux is the last person I would want to look at these pleadings. You are the King’s Secretary, the man who handles his correspondence. I want the king to have a look at this correspondence and not just have it quietly buried and forgotten. I expect that by the time the king returns most, if not all, of these complaints will have been favourably resolved by Earl Ralph, Bishop William and Engelric and the blame placed on over-zealous or corrupt servants and minor officials. You and I both know that in fact theft, corruption and extortion are currently running rampant in the kingdom, with the co-Lord Regent Odo of Bayeux being amongst the worst offenders- which in part is why he’s having so much dissent and protest in his own earldom of Kent. The English don’t like people abusing their office at the people’s expense. Some minor corruption is expected, but not blatant robbery and extortion.”

“And what do you hope to obtain?” asked Regenbald thoughtfully, looking over steepled fingers.

“Justice for these specific individuals whose legal rights have been abused. Hopefully a more temperate use of powers and less abuse of powers by the appointed officials. King William took an oath at his coronation that the laws of Edward would be upheld. At the moment it is as if a pack of wolves, Norman and English, are ravaging the country, the middle-thegns, poorer thegns and freemen, for their own benefit. If King William orders taxes are to be levied that is one thing. Private theft and extortion are another matter. The sheriffs need to be put on notice that they are expected to act and not either ignore or participate in financially ruining thousands of Englishmen,” replied Alan.

“Admirable sentiments, if perhaps overly virtuous,” rejoined Regenbald. “I actually meant what do you hope to obtain for yourself?”

Alan looked at him in blank incomprehension for a moment before replying, “Oh, I’m sorry! Of course you’re used to dealing with courtiers who only look to further their own benefit. The short answer is ‘nothing’. King William is likely to be annoyed at me for wasting his time and pointing out his poor choice of appointed officials. He may relish the opportunity to let those officials know that they are under scrutiny and perhaps punish one or two.

“Earl Ralph, the earl of East Anglia where I hold my own lands, will no doubt do whatever he can to make my life and that of my friends as difficult as possible. I don’t expect much trouble from Bishop William or Engelric as I can cause them more trouble than they can cause me. I hold my lands as tenant-in-chief from the king himself. I’m subservient to only one man under God, and I view this as a matter that God has given me to do as I must. William fitzOsbern will be angry with me because he brooks little intervention in what he does and he takes his appointment as co-regent seriously. He’s somewhat puffed up about his own importance and will reject any criticism. Odo will object to any interference in his own program of theft and illegal acquisition.”

Regenbald stroked his chin. “So a man who is honest,
ferht
and God-fearing, on a quest to protect the unwitting, with no thought of self-benefit- and indeed accepting that his own interests will be harmed.” Alan was not sure if the tone was astonished or ironic.

“I have no political ambitions and am happy with what I hold, which only the king can take from me. I’m sure that King William will not do that, if for no reason other than to use me as a weapon against those he wishes to keep in check,” confirmed Alan.

“You have obviously given this much thought and prayer and I salute your courage. As King’s Chancellor I have no higher office to look forward to and I will support your position. As an Englishman I object to the abuses that are taking place against my fellow-countrymen and I’m glad to see someone from what might be viewed as ‘the other side’ supporting the common folk. You have my regard, my best wishes and whatever assistance I can provide you- as I am Chancellor of England that may be of some assistance in ‘keeping those wolves off your back’. Now, it’s after dark and as the gates of the city will be closed for your return to your inn, I’ll provide you with an escort to ensure that the gates are opened for you. I look forward with expectation to your future involvement in politics in England.”

When Alan and Osmund arrived back at the ‘Fox and Goose’ they found a reply waiting from William, Bishop of London, brought by Leof. The reply, in a clerk’s hand, indicated he should attend at Bishop’s Palace near the cathedral at eleven the next morning. Leof was adamant that when he had returned as darkness was falling there was no way he could have been followed as he had dashed down Watling Street, past the shops in Gutter Lane, down Bread Street and back up Wood Street before sneaking in the back entrance of the inn.

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Alan and Anne rose reasonably early at six in the morning the next day, although still two hours after sunrise and the opening of the city gates. It was about a twenty minute very careful walk with Osmund and four huscarles, not now in armour but still carrying swords and a haughty expression that cleared the street for the others following, through the crowded pavements and streets of Chepe Street to Bishopsgate Street.

There they met with the Jews, firstly with Gideon and then with Malachi, completing their financial arrangements quite quickly. Alan asked if they knew of any large houses for sale either within the city walls or along The Strand leading to Westminster. Malachi was of great assistance, saying that it was a suitable time to buy property and that he knew a number of Englishmen under financial pressure as a result of the Heriot who may be prepared to part with their town-houses at modest process, and he would send a list of possible properties the next day.

Back at the ‘Fox and Goose’ Anne was delighted to find an invitation from Edward’s widow Queen Edith, who had been confirmed in her lands and dower by William after his victory, to attend at a soiree that evening.

Alan, Osmund and Leof walked to the lavish apartments of Bishop William of London, part of the complex of St Paul’s Cathedral near Ludgate, arriving a little before the appointed meeting time. They were shown into a small antechamber and kept waiting… and waiting…and waiting. Alan heard the cathedral bells ringing Sext at noon before they were finally invited into Bishop William’s luxurious office. Another man, of average size, middle age and apparently of saturnine temperament sat in the corner of the room.

“Nice of you to see us! I was under the impression that you saw our meeting as of some urgency, but apparently not,” said Alan with his apparently detached voice hiding his annoyance. Osmund and Leof were used to waiting all day for their master’s pleasure, and until recently so had Alan. Now, with his improved station, he expected better manners from anybody except the king.

Neither of the men in the room, both dressed in clerical garb, rose to greet him, or introduce themselves. Without invitation Alan sat at a chair opposite the more richly dressed man and waved Osmund and Leof to a bench set against the wall, the only other seating in the room. “I presume that you are William, Bishop of London?” asked Alan in Norman French to the stoutly built man opposite him. “And who are you?” he asked the man dressed in a simple black cassock.

“Engelric,” was the brief reply.

“Well, it’s good to meet two of the defalcators of the king’s money at the same time. It saves time in the long run. You sent a message saying you wanted to see me, Bishop, I presume it is to discuss your theft? I regret that we have caused both of you to miss the Sext service at noon, but if you had been on time perhaps we could have completed our business in time for us all to attend the service,” said Alan in a calm but deliberately offensive manner, choosing not to use the usual honorifics for the Bishop of London.

Bishop William was clearly disconcerted by this direct approach and replied, “I had thought that it may be of benefit to discuss your allegations, perhaps without your servants…?”

“I have nothing to hide,” replied Alan brusquely. “They stay, or I go! You are quite welcome to have witnesses of your own.” Engelric waved a hand in negation.

“We seem to have started off on the wrong foot, which is unfortunate,” said Engelric in his high-pitched voice. “Would you care for a cup of wine?” After he had poured cups for Alan, the bishop and himself from a jug on a table in the corner of the room and handed them around, Engelric continued suavely, “I understand that you have been making allegations against myself, the good bishop here and Earl Ralph regarding our conduct of our duties in East Anglia, and we would like to overcome any misunderstanding.”

“I have made no allegations,” corrected Alan quietly. “What has happened is that over forty thegns and freemen of Essex and Suffolk have made written complaints addressed to the king and the Curia Regis, which I have agreed to pass along. Those involving allegations of obvious criminal activity, including those against yourself, the bishop and Earl Ralph, I have referred to the sheriffs for their investigation. Some involved threats and extortion that could not be delayed until the king returned. All of them I have also placed in the hands of the King’s Chancellor, who may investigate them in the king’s absence or await his return as he thinks fit. In conjunction with the King’s Regents, the Chancellor is of course the highest official in the land whilst the king is away from the kingdom.”

Alan noted the wince and pained expression on Bishop William’s face when he mentioned the handing of the documents to the Chancellor. Engelric kept a calm face and demeanour. “So what are these allegations against us?”

Alan said to Osmund, also in Norman French to show that the clerk understood what had been said, “Osmund, can you please give a précis of the allegations I have handed to the Chancellor?”

Osmund unrolled a scroll and then spent nearly fifty minutes outlining the cases. Alan then said, “These are the few cases that we have received in a short period of time and have been asked to present to the king,” said Alan. “I’m sure that an examination of your own records, which no doubt the king and Curia will require, will reveal many more cases of abuse, extortion and overcharging, including my own for Wivenhoe. I suggest that you gentlemen, and Earl Ralph- and any other Relief Officers- may wish to review your records to correct any errors that your retainers may have made, but which of course reflect on you. How you will deal with the matters that involve you directly is another matter and for you to decide.”

“What do you want?” asked Bishop William abruptly. Engelric winced and looked away in embarrassment. “How much?” repeated Bishop William.

It took Alan several seconds for him to realise he was being offered a bribe in such a blatant manner. Before he could assemble his thoughts and reply, Engelric smoothly intervened. “What His Grace the Lord Bishop means is that you have of course incurred expense in pursuing the investigation of these false cases that have been brought against us- although if your clerk can provide us with details we will of course examine each instance to ensure that fairness and proper procedures have been followed. I’m sure that, like all of us, you would like some friends in influential places to assist you from time to time with the things you want to achieve. We’ve heard that you are in some financial difficulty yourself and have had to deal with the Jews and we thought that perhaps £100 would be adequate recompense for the time that you have spent on this issue.”

Alan waited a considerable period before he replied, causing Osmund to cast a raised eye in his direction. The delay was to collect his thoughts and regain control of his temper, before he replied, “I thank yourself and Bishop William for your concerns regarding my financial position. Perhaps that may be eased when Bishop William has a chance to examine the Relief amount levied on Wivenhoe, not as a favour to me but to remove the anomaly of the Relief charge being four times the value of the property. That’s just one of many instances of excessive Reliefs being set.

“The remainder of my land is of course not subject to Relief. My clerk will give your clerk a written précis of the inconsistencies and complaints that have come to my attention. I’m certain that on examination you will agree that many, if not all, of these complaints are justified, and equally certain that gentlemen such as yourselves will agree that the use of threats and extortion against poor thegns and freemen is not to be tolerated. Hopefully, this will cause you to carefully examine your records of all your activities in East Anglia, so that any other mistakes or abuses by your officers can be unearthed. I’m sure that the few that I have received are only a small portion of those that need review.

“As for my financial position, I can only say that my honour is not for sale at any price, whether it be £100 or £1,000, or more. I think that we now have an understanding of each other, which you may wish to share with Earl Ralph as he seems to think I should ride to Norfolk to meet with him- which I have no intention of doing. Now I thank you for your time and regret that you missed the noon-day service because of our meeting. I’m sure that your brothers will be expecting you in the refectory shortly for the mid-day meal.” Engelric and Bishop William would of course dine much more luxuriously than the provender at the table of the abbey refectory, but Alan felt there was no need to be unnecessarily rude- he was only rude where necessary- and he stood to take his leave with a promise for Osmund to have a summary of the depositions delivered next morning.

After a circuitous walk and the engagement of some men of the rougher sort outside a tavern to delay the men the bishop had sent to follow them, they arrived back at the ‘Fox and Goose’. Osmund, who had carefully been taking in the conversation verbatim, went to his room with a jug of ale and plate of food to record the conversation that had occurred whilst it was still fresh in his mind. Alan gave a summary to Anne, who expressed her thrills and outrages at the various twists and turns of the conversation as they were related to her.